The Robotics technology has become highly advanced to such a level that even people who have routine jobs [in industries] are replaced by robots. Though the initial cost of such robots may be high, the overall gain will be huge when compared to manual labour. To us, robots are just machines with two arms and two legs which are connected together by nuts and bolts.

Just when we were thinking that the robots were restricted to a routine job, came the invention of a new class which could even respond mentally. Today, we are going to discuss about such a class, usually referred to as Anthropomimetic Machines.

What is an Anthropomimetic Machine?An anthropomimetic robot is a machine that can exhibit almost all kinds of human behaviour. By human behaviour, we do not mean only the external behaviour, but also internal. That is, the robot can react and act accordingly to different stimuli like human beings. Thus, this technology is sure to reduce the gap between humans and robots.

Working of Anthropomimetic MachinesExternal BehaviourFor a robot to have an efficient movement and flexibility, it is necessary that the make of it should be of high standards. Thus, an Anthropomimetic Machine is made up of a material called thermoplastic polymer as it is the best material for making artificial skeletons. This material is special as it turns to liquid in a hot state and will return to a glassy state when it is cooled. Such a material is used as they mould into a desired shape after they melt and later freeze. With this method, the robot can easily attain all the degrees of freedom [DOF] easily.

The human body has tendons which are used to connect between the bones and the muscles. In a similar fashion the thermoplastic polymer acts as the robotís tendons and corresponds to the muscles and kitelines of the robotís body. Thus, the thermoplastic polymer can be defined as an actuator which helps in attaining all the degrees of freedom [DOF] for the robot.

The above explanation clearly defines the external appearance and movement of the robot. Now, let us discuss the internal characteristics.

Internal CharacteristicsBy internal behaviour, we mean that the robot will be able to respond to different stimuli like a human being. This can be done only by creating some basic cognitive characteristics.

For instance, if the robot has stepped on something that is not stable for it, the robot has to do the necessary corrections. This can be done only with the help of some rudimentary sensory-motor controls. Through this control, the motor will start developing ways to develop some form of intelligence. The memory will be developed in its course that after a while when the robot faces a similar obstacle, it will remember the previous incident and do the necessary steps for its survival.

About CRONOSCRONOS is an advanced version of an anthropomimetic machine which was developed to create an illusion of interacting with humans. It was developed by Rob Knight and Owen Holland for the Machine Consciousness Lab run by the universities of Bristol and Sussex. For the full scale version of this robot, the anthropomimetic machine had to be upgraded with many computers and other sensors.

The researchers at the Essex Campus of Bristol University explained that CRONOS was a prototype actually used for the design study used for investigating materials, actuators, joints, and morphology. After developing the prototype successfully, they built a second version with a much more stable skeletal structure ad high power motors, called CRONOS 2. This robot can not only imitate the motions and stimulations of a human but can also imitate the actual external appearance of a human.Cronos RobotCronos Robot

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The structure of such a system is perfect that it can easily attain 42 degrees of freedom [DOF] with the help of elastically driven actuators.

CRONOS was made from nothing else but common elements like nuts, bolts, screws, actuators and so on. But CRONOS 2 was a little more advanced as the skeletal structure had to be made stronger. Thus, they made it out of thermoplastic polymorph, tendons of kiteline and so on. The muscles were designed and powered with the help of actuated screwdriver motors. The flexible joints of the muscle and bones were made out of bungee cord. These changes from the prototype to CRONOS 2 made it more identical to an actual human being, when referred to the shape and size.

Future of Anthropomimetic RobotsAll these efforts were done to somehow integrating robots into human society. Anthropomimetic Robots and its versions may have succeeded in imitating and responding to human beings with the help of multiple computers and other devices. But, with major funding and research, this idea can be taken to the next level, where all the works that a human does can be done by a robot as well.

ApplicationsWhen a certain technology is innovated, they will be used for only two basic purposes. They are Ė good or evil. The good thing about such machines is that they can be replaced for existing technologies like ATMís, advanced computing processes, and so on. They can also be used for bomb removal purposes. But, the bad thing is that they can replace human jobs like library assistants, grocery checkout clerks and so on. Though the researchers developed such a robot to integrate with a society, only time can tell how bad the technology can get.

This got my attention "The Robotics technology has become highly advanced to such a level that even people who have routine jobs [in industries] are replaced by robots. Though the initial cost of such robots may be high, the overall gain will be huge when compared to manual labour. To us, robots are just machines with two arms and two legs which are connected together by nuts and bolts."

Also this got my attention "<edit> please refrain from using our forum to promote products - your hidden link has been removed." not sure which link they are referring to.....

beyond what's possible technically, there will have to be some socio-economic breaking point .. if no one has a job, then who will be interacting with our army of mechanical servers?

Oh sure, i've heard the rhetoric about all the jobs programming and repairing them - but i'm not buying it.

Our particular local system is already overloaded with hoards of unionized workers with nothing to do except bitch about job security, government solution to unemployment is more gov't make work positions. it's already falling apart at the seams. i dunno .. maybe in the near dystopian future, newly unemployed mobs attacking robots will become a thing.

i have no doubt that in the near future we'll see more and more mecha .. grocery stores here already have them (although not anthropomorphic, this is just a detail). No idea how many cashier year wages it takes to pay for one of the things but the big stores are clearly keen on them for now.

i don't know enough about economics (i don't really believe there is such a science), but my gut says a robot world will not be a good place to live.

Oh sure, i've heard the rhetoric about all the jobs programming and repairing them - but i'm not buying it.

Well, yeah, it's bullshit for people who have no concept of scale.

Yes, sure, some repair jobs will be created. But the entire point of automating is to reduce the amount of labor needed to make something.

Technology's purpose (to us) is to get more done with fewer people. "Losing jobs" is the entire point of advancing as a species.

Once upon a time 100% of us were hunters and gatherers. Then agriculture was invented. That freed up 90% of us to do anything else. Then the textile machines were invented and suddenly 90% of those people lost their jobs, freeing up more labor. Then computers were invented a bunch of those jobs disappeared.

All the things that are not quite cost effective to do right now, are because people are better used doing better things. When people aren't busy doing those other things, we get to do all the same old things but also new things.

However, much like with the industrial revolution, the automation revolution is upon us here, and it will hit hard and fast and society will have to change fast.

The scary thing is that, increasingly, the role of capital (versus labor) will dominate meaning that the rich get richer at a faster rate. So there will be a pushback towards communism again, where people who have money to invest get to benefit from the automation and those who were just labor find themselves... not needed. Rapid decent into slavery or serfdom.

The most frightening thing is the automation of warfare. The one thing that keeps governments in power is that if they did anything truly atrocious, widespread communication can lead to a military coup, and a lower level, militias will rise to oppose the military. A knight on horseback is worth maybe 10 peasants with pitchforks, but you still have peasants with pitchforks and still have to convince the knights. A soldier with a rifle is worth 100 peasants, and that's if he wants to pull the trigger. What's a drone worth?

Soldiers will just nope out and refuse to do anything too terrible, and there's too many of them for the rich to truly just take off with the world. But if there's robots pulling the trigger, that's no longer a sober second thought. When investment is all it takes to have a military, instead of labor, we're in trouble. Power at the top is going to shift towards the rich quickly, and the poor won't even be working in the factories to be able to shut them down.

Nazi Germany probably couldn't happen again because the average person has no interest in war. Anywhere that there's freedom of communication, there's much less hatred. As soon as your enemies are just people you can talk with, the whole us vs. them doesn't hold a lot of weight.

In other news, didn't notice... my 10 year anniversary here just passed. Normally I think time flies so fast. Last 5 years yea, 7 maybe, but 10 years ago I remember being just a kid asking how to wire up LEDs.

Answering questions is a tricky subject to practice. Not due to the difficulty of formulating or locating answers, but due to the human inability of asking the right questions; a skill that, were one to possess, would put them in the "answering" category.

well, maybe people have to grow up a bit.specially true for politicans.

to put it in plain, read Asimov. specially novells about Solaria.fully automated, robotised. people do not have a government, they have no need for it.surely the whole planet has a verry low population however there is no war,and everyone is dedicated to live a long and productive life doing something robots and computers can never ever do. thinking and coming up with new things.

there is AI and AGI, and learning machines, and skynet and what not.however, a computer is.. immortal.we humans are not. we got a limited time, we have desires, things computers do not have.we invent things.

robots are no more than a means of getting rid of stuff holding back brilliant minds.i mean.. many of us have tonns of projects halted right? we have to get a job, or find toher means to get money, pay taxes, etc.. it drains our resources. by resource i mean money, and time.lets face it, if sir isaac newton would had to pull off a 3 shift job in a foundry most probably he would have not found enough time and stregth to give us advancment in understanding the world around us.wars would simply not happen if everyone would have more than enough of everything.without working for it.that is, if we advance to a level where boredom is not fought by violence.animals don't really spend time thinkering. humans do.

now, politicans and other government employees know onyl one thing. they only make the superhigh quality of life vs ordinary people till tey can keep everyone under the tax slavery. that is where they get the money from. and they make you pay for services they provide even if you do not want or need those services.you are forced to pay. for now.however, if everything is provided by robots in terms of labor, then we can focus on intellectual things. i certianly welcome that.

and i think if we can make robots to do work, we can most probably make robots that can do the maintanance work too. so there will be no need for human interaction.i thnk that is progression, no more we need masses of people in sweathshops.

for a long time governments gave encourging to have more and more kids, witch is utterly sad and brutal if you ask me. it just prooves people are no more than cattle to milk.the more people you got who is forced in the tax slavery to more you can make in terms of money. sick.since more workers make more..with robots the case is different. you dont need to breed them.if you can have anything that anyone else can have, you won't ever have the need to take anything from anyone. that is why you would not see war. same is most probably whgy we do not encounter any aliens...you see, they might have allready reached the work free state, from that point contacting any other race that lives off by leeching is no more than a threat.

human lifeform will not be pointless, only people who are limited int thinking labor is all what a human can do think like that. and governments did a fine job conditioning people to think like that. but not 100%. for the rest we have these forced services we can not cancel, making sure our life is no more than generating tax. robotics is the path to freedom from this tax nonsense.internet and computers solved the imposed isolation (there is a verry good reason why north korea refuses to connect masses to the world wide web, and there is a good reson why governments try to limit internet everywhere ont he world, free speech and lack of isolation actually gives path to question the need for any government and state, there is a reason why some places BANNED off grid power, otherwise question would raise why the hell we pay tax at all when we could support our self on our own)